Aventure in Palawan April/May 2017

Aventure in Palawan April/May 2017



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Our boat ‘Aventure’ left Phuket on April 10, heading out for several weeks at sea, aiming to spend two months to visit Palawan in the Philippines. The crossing was calm with both the weather and the sea tranquil yet unfortunately there wasn’t enough wind for us to unfurl the sails.

We stopped by Langkawi in Malaysia to fuel then slipped through the Straits of Malaca where we spotted our first dolphins, eventually dropping anchor mid-April for a few days in Batam, an Indonesian island just south of Singapore.

Langkawi

 

Langkawi

There was nothing remarkable about this very industrial island, pretty much ruined by industry, but we did have the pleasure of practicing Bahasa – Indonesia’s official language– and to take some local colour in as well as (more importantly) to meet up with friends.

Batam

 

Batam

After a few days in good company we headed for the Riau archipelago (still in Indonesia). We enjoyed these beautiful, wild, and numerous islands aboard Aventure and experienced a warm welcome, especially on Jemaja and Siantan islands. This archipelago – much to our pleasure – is wide open for pleasure seekers like us but we could still make official our departure from Indonesia.

Jemala

 

Riau archipelago

Jemala

 

Riau archipelago

After several days of sailing towards Borneo accompanied by dolphins who played around the prow and stern, at the beginning of May we fetched up at Kota Kinabalu, a fast-growing provincial harbour. To its shame, Malaysia has mostly invested in abusively exploiting its resources at the expense of its forests and exceptional culture – which is regretful as the potential here is fabulous. As the last orangutans sought refuge in the furthest parts of the tropical forests, one could say the same about the local tribes such as the Dunsan, the Tangkob, the Rungus and Lundayeh – all who have moved since 1950.

Kota Kinabalu

 

Dolphins near Borneo

After 60 hours of motoring due to the lack of wind in the sweltering heat we dropped anchor mid-May in Bacuit Bay – an impressive place all in all!

El Nido

 

Palawan

The north of Palawan Island – as with the entire island of Coron a little to the north – features distinctive cliffs and topographical characteristics similar to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Guilin in China, and Krabi in Thailand.

Palawan

 

Palawan

El Nido is a small village in the heart of this remarkable place, a marine sanctuary exceptionally rich in flora and fauna (such as turtles and dugongs, along with other local species) with some 50 white-sand beaches with crystal-clear water pools all towered over by dizzying cliffs.

Palawan

 

Palawan

We stayed here for a few days, getting around on their hair-raising three-wheelers before boarding Aventure once again and heading just north of Coron at the end of May.

The excellent reputation of these waters is entirely justified. We’d never seen anything like this before – countless varieties of coral, sea anemones and gorgonias. We swam in warm, clear waters surrounded by shoals of multi-coloured fish. This perfectly preserved underwater world is a real treat and it was a pity we didn’t have oxygen tanks as we’d have like to have checked out the numerous shipwrecks which have lain there in the depths since 1945.

Coron

 

Coron

We could have stayed there for weeks exploring far and wide but certain sights are even more remarkable such as the 367 steps ascending and 128 descending steps needed to get to the Kayangan Lake at the interior of the island. The water there is turquoise-tinted and so clear that we felt we could have touched the rocks at the bottom of the lake without even diving in. It’s such an incredibly natural swimming spot that it’s overwhelmingly tempting.

Coron - Kayangan

 

Coron

Coron has several organized tours operating to spots like this, the only drawback being the number of tourists.

Coron

 

Coron

Crossing the island we noticed markedly differing landscapes with the steep cliffs turning into towering hills, their summits bereft of greenery. As for the valleys, they’re home to dense tropical foliage, largely predominated by bamboo. It’s all very rural here with wood-and-bamboo houses on piles featuring either thatched or corrugated iron roofs. Several have domestic animals such as cows or buffaloes, chickens, pigs and dogs which especially like to lay in the road. In fact during our two-hour trip across the island we passed only a few cars, and a cargo of bamboo dragged along by a buffalo. So the dogs are not disturbed by much. No stress here…

Coron

 

Coron

It was nonetheless surprising to find an African animal sanctuary created in 1997 to the north of Coron on Calauit Island that has giraffes, zebras, gazelles, and impalas. Here, the animals have an almost exact replica of their original savanna home and they’re thriving as the population has doubled in the past five years from 100 to 200. In spite of this, even if the majority of animals are free to roam, too many are caged. A 30-minute visit is all that’s needed here.

Coron

 

Coron

After two weeks on Palawan the monsoons arrive and it’s time for us to leave. It’s a non-stop trip back to Phuket except for a few brief refueling halts, hoping for a breeze all along the way.

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